The F2 Restoration

[rigwit]

looking good pete.  comming along nice. plus my 2 pence worth on broken taps, if you use , "fluted taps" and one breaks you can ussualy get it out by makeing a 3 pronged tool to back screw it  or if its a 4 sided flute  or  2  same method apply's.......

[K2-K6]

We used to use cutting wheel on off-hand grinder to make one flute in allen bolts, then clean threads with needle file to de-burr and voila a good thread cleaning tool. And you can make most sizes cheaply, they don't need to be hardened as you are usually only cleaning something out not cutting into casting.

[UK Pete]

The f2 restoration has been sitting there gathering dust over the summer, we had such a good early spring and summer that all i wanted to do was ride my bikes that are on the road, the poor old f2 has just sat there, anyway all the parts i needed for the bike have been bought all i need to do is assemble it, my intention was to restore it to a decent original condition and as near to the factory spec as possible, the only thing i new i could never get was an original exhaust system, they just do not come up for sale, well f---k me i have only gone and found one in ok condition take a look at the pictures, the front pipes came from the USA, and the back was bought in England but came originaly from Canada, the front pipes are really good and were taken off the bike 31 years ago and stored, the back pipe was taken from a crashed bike slightly road rashed on the underside but still looking respectable with no rot or loose baffles .
I paid good money for the system , but on reflection it all came to about what a  new motad would of cost me, so i am one happy chappy
Pete







 

[Yoshi823]

Crikey Peter, that looks a great system. I don't even remember my ones looking as good as they are.

One suggestion...fill the silencer with old engine oil, leave it to soak for a few hours & then drain it off. The oil will coat the insides & never burn off as it never gets hot enough, & so will stop any condensation from rotting the pipe from the inside out. I have done this on several silencers now & it works a treat...even on car exhausts.

[hector2800]

jealous much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[F2 Paul 876]

Good buy me to jealous, will look brill on the bike.
Paul

[K2-K6]

Oooh that looks good nick pete, and worth a bit of a chase around to find an original.

Good suggestion about the oil Yoshi, I'd go with 2-smoke oil though as that seems to have preserved more pipes than anything over the years and is a bitch to get out of pipes so a good property for this.

I've heard it's the acid by-product from combustion that is carried in the condesation if not warmed up properly that attacks the mild steel inner pipes and rots them. Seems to make sense as the chrome often remains intact as the structure disappears.

[Spitfire]

Right that's it, I'm officially dead jealous, they look great, I used to use the same trick on exhaust systems on my bikes back in the olden days, filled them with oil and leave them overnight. As suggested I used 2 stroke oil as well.

Cheers

Den

[UK Pete]

Ok here we go again, i  got the urge to crack on with the f2 so in the week i assembled the top end of the engine, fitted new rings, ground the valves in ,and put in a new cam tensioner wheel,
When it came to assembling the cam tower i put everything together went to torque up the cam tower bolts , and no surprise 2 of the bolts just kept turning not even getting 5lbs on the torque wrench, this is about the 6th or seventh 6mm bolt to just pull clean out of the aluminium on this engine, either Honda used cheese for aluminium or the prevoius person who dismantled the engine and rebuilt it was an arse and overtightened everthing to the point where it just started to break, anyway off with the cam and towers out with the helicoil kit and reasemble,
With engine now together i decided to put it in the frame, i was going to lift it in and at the last minute, thought i would take the wheels off and lower the frame on to the engine, it turns out this was real easy and only a one man job, although i did manage to chip some paint on the engine and the frame , but on the whole a job well done, i took a few pictures to show my progress, hope fully i will post a bit more on this project as i just want it done as it has been too long ,
Pete

[Spitfire]

Absolutely gorgeous, you are doing a fine job, as for the cam towers those bolt holes are notorious for stripping used to happen all the time.

Cheers

Den

[K2-K6]

That looks really good Pete and seems like a possible runner this year.

You're right to do the frame onto the engine way round if you're by yourself, I've only ever done them upright with two people, lots of taped frame tubes and careful jiggling to avoid damage.

Found a road test of 750-F2 the other day in some old mags I've got, by Phil read with some good pics mainly of the red version. Also he states that the formula-1 racer based on that engine was giving about 10bhp up from stock at that time!

[SteveD CB500K0]

Any chance of a copy of that article?

I collect these for his website.

Steve

[AshimotoK0]

I have the MCM mags (Motor Cycle Maniacs as we called it 'back in the day' with the original 750K0 (June '70) road test , Nov 74 The original road test of the K2 and 750/4 engine analysis and Feb 1970 with an article on Dick Emery and his 750k0. Also CB article on the K0 that Bob Heath bought from Honda UK, which Honda UK had stored for years. I can scan if you like Steve.

Also this the road test on 400/4 by 'Bike' magazine.


http://www.abacuscaralarms.co.UK/bikes/Test_Reports/Honda_CB400F.html

cheers

AshD

[SteveD CB500K0]

Sorry about the thread hijack...

Here's Phil riding a 400/4 on the Island in 1977:



I also have a copy of Superbike from 1978 when he raced a CBX1000 against Derek Bell in an Aston Martin Vantage:

http://www.philread.org/memorabilia.htm

[K2-K6]

Steve, I'll try and get a scan for you but don't have much in the way of kit to do it so it may take a while to get sorted.

Please remind me if I don't get it soon.